The origins of the Weimar Republic
Germany at the end of the war
By autumn 1918, Germany was losing the First World War. People were starving because of a British naval blockade, and there were strikes, mutinies in the navy and uprisings in German cities.
- On 9 November 1918, Kaiser Wilhelm II and fled to the Netherlands. Germany was declared a republic, led by Friedrich Ebert of the Social Democratic Party.
- On 11 November 1918, the new government signed the , ending the fighting.
In January 1919, elections were held for a National Assembly. Berlin was too dangerous, so it met in the town of Weimar, which gave the new republic its name.
Key terms
The Weimar Constitution
The new constitution, agreed in 1919, made Germany a democracy:
- The President: elected every seven years. He chose the Chancellor, commanded the armed forces, and had emergency powers under .
- : head of the government, who needed the support of the Reichstag to pass laws.
- : the parliament, elected every four years by .
- The Reichsrat: representatives of Germany's states, which could delay laws.
All men and women over 20 could vote.
Key terms
Strengths and weaknesses of the constitution
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| Very democratic: all adults over 20, including women, could vote | Proportional representation led to many small parties, so no party had a majority, and governments were unstable coalitions |
| Proportional representation was fair to small parties | let the President bypass the Reichstag, and could be abused |
| People's rights, such as free speech and freedom of religion, were guaranteed | The states could resist the national government |
| The President's power balanced the Reichstag's | Many judges, army officers and civil servants still supported the old Kaiser, and disliked democracy |
Significance: these weaknesses would matter later, especially Article 48.
Remember
9 November 1918: the Kaiser abdicates. 11 November 1918: the armistice. Two days apart.